No matter how convenient convenience might be, few things can beat homemade. This Spiced Dulce de Leche is just one of those little work, high reward homemade dishes. But be warned. It is utterly delicious and addictive.

Made from a tin of condensed milk, it is slowly heated and as it cooks it changes flavour and colour. It is very popular in Latin America and the French also have a version, called Confiture de Lait. Here in South Africa we can get a (sort of ) version of it known as Caramel Treat, which is a key ingredient in the well known Peppermint Crisp tart. I actually used that tart as inspiration and took it to a whole other level with this Peppermint Crisp Parfait.

There are various ways of making Dulce de Leche from condensed milk, including popping it into a pressure cooker and the other method is to boil the closed tin in water for a number of hours. None of those methods really appeal to me and it dawned on me that when baking it in the oven as I’ve seen done, I could add extra flavours to it.

I wanted the spices to be as aromatic as possible and decided to use, vanilla, cinnamon and cardamom pods to flavour the milk while it cooks. The result is a heady, spicy and sweet, thick sauce which is just delicious.

The ways to serve it are endless. Dollop a spoonful on a warm baked chocolate pudding, mix some into whipped cream to serve with dessert or use it as a spread to sandwich cake layers together. The delicious spicy sweetness will add so much more flavour. Enjoy!

Also a reminder that we still have a few spots left for our Food Photography Workshop on 14 June. Give me a shout if you want to book your seat for an inspirational and super fun day.

This is such a great idea! I cant wait to try it out but, I am really confused about step 4… I don’t really get it and what are we suppose to do with the water?? are we supposed to pour the water into the tin then pour it into the baking pan until it is half filled?

Hi Jolynn. You put the mixture in a pie dish and put the pie dish in a large roasting tin. Then you fill the roasting tin with water until it comes up halfway up the pie dish. Let me know if anything still unclear. Regards